BREADFISH

BF Secret File Downloader is a WordPress plugin that automatically creates secure directories and allows you to manage files within them. The plugin creates protected storage areas automatically and provides comprehensive file management, directory management, and download functionality with advanced access control.
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Automatic Secure Directory Creation: System automatically creates protected directories with unique names</li>
<li>File Management: Browse, upload, and manage files in secure directories</li>
<li>Download Control: Secure download functionality with access control</li>
<li>Access Control: Multiple authentication methods including WordPress login and simple password</li>
<li>Directory Management: Organize files in automatically created protected directories</li>
<li>i18n Ready: Translation ready with Japanese and English support</li>
</ul>
<h4>Authentication Methods</h4>
<ul>
<li>WordPress user login (with role-based access)</li>
<li>Simple password protection</li>
</ul>
<h4>Use Cases</h4>
<ul>
<li>Private document distribution</li>
<li>Member-only file downloads</li>
<li>Protected resource sharing</li>
</ul>
<h3>Security</h3>
This plugin implements several security measures:
<ul>
<li>Automatic secure directory creation with unique names</li>
<li>Protected directories with .htaccess and index.php files to prevent direct access</li>
<li>Nonce verification for all admin actions</li>
<li>Input sanitization and validation</li>
<li>Path traversal protection</li>
<li>Access control verification</li>
<li>Direct file access prevention</li>
<li>Program code file upload blocking (PHP, JS, Python, etc.)</li>
<li>Hidden file and dangerous file pattern filtering</li>
<li>Secure file upload and download handling</li>
</ul>
<h3>Support</h3>
For support and feature requests, please visit the plugin’s support forum.
<h3>Donate</h3>
If you find this plugin useful, please consider making a donation to support its development.
<a href="https://square.link/u/Kl16kA0b" rel="nofollow ugc">Donate via Square</a>

BF Secret File Downloader

Manage and provide download functionality for files in secure, auto-generated directories.

Jeff Starr

Simple Download Counter (SDC) provides a simple yet powerful way to count file downloads. Works with any file type that’s supported by WordPress (e.g., JPG, PNG, ZIP, MP4, TXT, and many more).
Important / Please Read
This plugin enables Admin-level users to add download files of any type, from anywhere on the server, or from any remote public location. Only Administrators are allowed to add download files. Please use caution and use responsibly.
<blockquote>
This plugin is incompatible with WordPress Multisite.
</blockquote>
How it works
Visit the plugin settings to add a download file. Then use the shortcode to display a download link on any post or page. The plugin will then count every download and display it in the plugin settings. You can also display the download count on the front end using a shortcode.
Features
<ul>
<li>Simple and powerful download counter</li>
<li>Supports local and remote file URLs</li>
<li>Supports any file type supported by WordPress</li>
<li>Lightweight – entire plugin size is < 160 KB</li>
<li>Super fast and built for optimal performance</li>
<li>Clean code tightly integrated with WordPress</li>
<li>No Apache/.htaccess required</li>
</ul>
Check out the screenshots below to get a better idea of the plugin settings and more.
How is this better?
There are numerous “download counter” or “download manager” plugins available, but none of them satisfy all of my specific, stringent requirements:
<ul>
<li>Current with latest WordPress</li>
<li>Clean and simple code using WP APIs</li>
<li>Lightweight with minimal useless features</li>
<li>Supports all local and remote downloads</li>
<li>No automatically created posts or pages</li>
<li>No advertisements or weird admin notifications</li>
<li>No obtuse styling of default WP Admin elements</li>
<li>Download posts are visible only in the Admin Area</li>
<li>Descriptive error handling for upload files</li>
<li>No redundant or sloppy coding practices</li>
<li>No requirement for cookies or sessions</li>
<li>No requirement for Apache/.htaccess</li>
<li>No weird database shenanigans</li>
</ul>
So I decided to build my own. Let me emphasize the utter simplicity of this plugin. It does one thing and does it well: counts the number of downloads for your files. And makes it easy to display download links and download counts anywhere on the front end.
Privacy
This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. The only thing this plugin does is count the number of times files are downloaded. So 100% privacy friendly for everyone.
Simple Download Counter is developed and maintained by <a href="https://x.com/perishable" rel="nofollow ugc">Jeff Starr</a>, 15-year <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress developer</a> and <a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">book author</a>.

Simple Download Counter

Thanks a lot for this great Plugin. 
It does exactly what it is supposed to do, simply count how often a file is downloaded. And the plugin is very lightweight. The additional options in connection with the shortcode leave nothing to be desired.

Simply a great Plugin

Simply counts the number of times your files are downloaded. Display download links and counts using shortcodes.

BF Secret File Downloader vs Simple Download Counter